Turkey à la King

Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Amy Wilson.

This is nursery food absolutely, soft and creamy, salty-sweet. It sits happily atop toast or biscuits, rice or waffles or noodles; in some households, it is wrapped within crepes: leftover turkey in gravy, essentially, with mushrooms and peas for heft. And as such it is comforting to eat, in much the same way that burrowing into a nest on the couch to watch football or a three-hankie movie is comforting. But it is also threadbare elegant with its whisper of sherry, vaguely French. You could of course make it with chicken instead of turkey, add diced ham or minced clams, shucked oysters or a handful of slivered pimiento. It's a very forgiving recipe. Make of it what you will.

Preparation

Make a roux. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. When it begins to foam, sprinkle the flour over it, and whisk to combine, then continue whisking until it begins to turn the color of straw, approximately 7-10 minutes.

Slowly add 1 cup of the turkey stock to this mixture, and stir to combine. Add more stock to thin the sauce. Keep warm.

Set a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and add to it the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. When it begins to foam, add the mushrooms, and cook, until the mushrooms have released their moisture and begun to get glossy and soft, approximately 7-10 minutes. Add the turkey, then the warm sauce and cream, and stir to combine. Add the peas, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is hot and has thickened slightly, approximately 7-10 minutes.

Stir in the sherry, adjust seasonings and serve over biscuits or toast, rice or buttered noodles, garnished with the parsley.

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